Blue Sweater One

           

            The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz opens with a quote from Nelson Mandela that immediately stuck with me. “There is no passion to be found playing small in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living”. After delving into an anecdote about a discarded childhood sweater from the 1970s, Novogratz establishes that her book is more than an unfamiliar transition from Wall Street to the slums of Rio de Janeiro, but a call to live life loudly. She quickly recalls her early desire to change the world, a desire that found her even when she felt she was the farthest from making any real change.

           

            What initially interested me in the book was Novogratz indirect path to ultimately start philanthropic organizations such as the Acumen Fund and Duterimbere. Uncertain of how to reach the world and make the change she wanted to see, the post-grad feel into the world of international finance. Although at first appearing to distance herself from the realization of her dreams, it was the introduction of accounting and banking that enabled her to reach the poverty stricken world that caught her attention. As a new hire for Manhattan Chase Bank, it was her job to travel the world and check on the company’s investments, affording her the opportunity to witness devastating socioeconomic divisions up close and personal.

            When I started college just 3 years ago, I had the same desire to change the world and relinquish any monetary necessities. As an Architecture major, my goal was to build low-income sustainable housing in under developed low socioeconomic communities around the world. Since freshman year I have changed my major a few times, but my goal remains the same. I want to make the world a better place and it is comforting to hear Novogratz story as she initially found it difficult to have an impact, but used the resources and opportunities afforded to her in order to reach her goals of changing the world.